Tree-Trimming Worker Dies from Suspected Lightning Strike
- A 29-year-old worker with The Davey Tree Expert Company, subcontracting for We Energies, died July 27 after a suspected lightning strike while trimming a tree 60 feet up in Whitewater, Wisconsin, according to Whitewater Fire and Emergency Medical Services.
- The crew supervisor reported a “loud bang and a flash” believed to be a lightning strike.
- Authorities found no evidence the worker had contact with energized power lines, and a weather system was moving through the area at the time of the call.
- Both We Energies’ parent company, WEC Energy Group, and The Davey Tree Expert Company confirmed the death and said they are working with authorities and reaching out to the employee’s family and coworkers.
- The Walworth County Medical Examiner and the City of Whitewater Police Department are investigating, and the worker’s name has not been released.
Worker Injured in Machine Explosion at Gun Manufacturing Plant
- A worker was airlifted to a Boston hospital after a titanium fire and explosion in a commercial 3D printing machine at the Sig Sauer gun manufacturing facility in Exeter, New Hampshire.
- Firefighters responded to a 911 call about smoke shortly before 4 p.m., and the facility was evacuated after an explosion with injuries was reported; one worker was found with burn injuries amid an active fire and smoke in the manufacturing area.
- The injured worker was treated on-site, then flown by helicopter from Exeter Hospital to a Boston hospital.
- Hazmat technicians found two machines with active titanium fires contained in hoppers; Sig Sauer’s safety team and the fire department removed the compromised hoppers and placed them in sand away from the building, bringing the incident under control roughly three hours later.
- Sig Sauer said it is investigating the cause and is focused on supporting its employees; the Exeter Fire Department is investigating alongside Sig Sauer and other agencies.